Thursday, January 26, 2006

Some racist-types in France--in Dreyfus's ancestral region, as it happens--have decided to distribute "pork soup" to the poor. Caring for one's own is good and all, but the whole "we belong and you don't" angle is, well, off-putting. Sort of like a dish described alternately as "pork chowder" and "community soup." From the EJP:

Every Wednesday for the past six weeks the southern regionalist group Soulidarieta (solidarity) has been distributing the foodstuff at locations close to soup kitchens.

Soulidarieta is ideologically linked to the extreme right movement Identity Bloc. While serving soup the militants are also giving-out leaflets with the words: “ours before the others!”.

Last Saturday, a second nationalist group “Alsace Solidarity” launched a similar initiative in Strasbourg, giving out a pork chowder they call “community soup”.

“We put pork in the soup because we live in France, a country where pork has always had a major place in the citizens’ food,” says a leaflet distributed by Soulidarieta.

While the intent of the pork soup is clearly both anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish (not to mention anti-vegetarian), it's also unclear how many French foods, even with less offensive-sounding names, would be both halal and kosher. Little or not-so-little bits of shellfish or pork (everything from broth to shortening) find their way into most dishes. Even many traditional French cheeses are not kosher, depending on the rennet used. And if the dishware isn't kosher, then it doesn't matter if the dish in question is 300% vegan, still not kosher.

So there are two issues at stake: that the soup is not technically kosher or halal, and that the choice of dish was meant to offend. Which brings up the question of how many French Jews (I don't know enough about halal to discuss that angle) are semi-kosher, say, avoiding pork and shellfish but eating in restaurants, or eating everything but meat when dining out. Varying degrees of kashrut, such that many more Jews steer clear of pork and shellfish than have homes that a rebbe would agree to eat in, make it so that "pork soup" affects Jews specifically, as a people, rather than just the Jewish religion as followed by strict adherents. Again, I don't know the specifics of halal well enough to say whether this also holds for Islam.

My suggestion? Given that this trend began in Nice, it only seems fitting to let them eat salade nicoise.

7 comments:

Okay, I feel outraged by this post and I feel like some issues need to be clarified. First of all, let us acknowledge that you are hating on these nice people because they're giving out free pork soup to homeless peepz. I mean, you are a seriously paranoid blogger to think that they would go out of their way to stew tons of yummy yum yummy pork soup all the time just to spite the jews and muslims. Guess what? You're not that important. They love pork and that's what they're going to be dishing out. Quit Hating. Plus, have you ever eaten pork or watched a pig on the farm? Pigs are cute and clean, much cuter and cleaner than chickens for example. Not eating pork is an archaic practice that does not make sense today. Oink oink for freedom!!

You may have heard about the Identity Soups. These traditional pork soups are distributed in several towns in France and Belgium by Identity associations that are wishing to help their compatriots living in poverty.

These de Identity soups have been accused of racism because, since they contain pork, they would exclude Jews and Muslims. Still, pork meat is key to the traditional Gallic art of cooking (Read again the Asterix’ adventures !). It is also the cheapest meat and this is an important factor of choice for non-subsidised associations. And, last but not least, when Jewish or Muslim associations are helping their fellows from the same religion they choose to serve kosher or hallal soups and this does not shock us nor does it shock anybody else… Now, when Europeans are trying to help their fellow compatriots with pork, why should it then be considered as racism ?

January 14th 2006, following a request from the Mayor of Strasbourg (North East of France), the Prefect (representing the French State) has prohibited the distribution of the Identity Soup with the support of the police and has arrested the head of the association organising the soup, named Solidarité Alsacienne (Alsatian Solidarity).

IN FRANCE THE STATE PREVENTSFRENCH PEOPLE TO HELP FRENCH AND EUROPEAN PEOPLE !

All European nations are concerned by this measure : if we do not react today, tomorrow they might prohibit the croissant as the racist symbol of the European victory against the Turkish Muslim army that was at the door of Vienna in 1683. Or, like a director of a British school did, they may prohibit to tell stories such as “The three little pigs” under the excuse that it could heart the sensitivity of Muslim kids. It is now that we shall react !

OUR ARMS ARE THE PHONE AND THE EMAILS !

If you want to protect French and European culinary traditions and especially the freedom of Europeans to live on their own soil according to their ancestral customs, phone, send a email and ask your friends to do the same to :- the Prefect of Bas-Rhin, Jean-Paul FAUGERE : chantal.jaouen@bas-rhin.pref.gouv.fr - tel. (33) 03 88 21 67 68),- the Mayor of Strasbourg, Fabienne KELLER :fkeller@cus-strasbourg.net - (tel. (33) 03.88.43.65.08)- the Mayor’s « Premier Adjoint » Robert GROSSMANN : rgrossmann@cus-strasbourg.net - (tel. (33) 03.88.43.65.03),- the local newspaper: redaction@dna.fr (tel. (33) 03.88.21.55.00),- please copy us using the following address (this will be used to count the emails sent) : contact@les-identitaires.com

This call is sent in more than fifteen European countries as well as in North and South America, Canada and Quebec. Our objective: that the Prefect, the Mayor and the local newspaper receive each 100.000 emails asking for freedom for Identity Soups. No insult, no threat, no attachment, just these few words as a title :

FREEDOM FOR OUR PORK SOUP !LIBERTÉ POUR NOTRE SOUPE AU COCHON !

For any information on Identity Soups :http://solidarite-alsacienne.hautetfort.comhttp://www.association-sdf.comhttp://www.soulidarieta.org http://www.renaissancesociale.be